Using the ASTRO Process Manager for Android

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One of the problems with many mobile platforms is the inability to persuade some apps to close. While some have a sign-out or exit option, most do not, relying instead on you restarting your device to exit them.

This often results in a performance hit and a battery drain as the apps pile up to be accessed via multi-tasking – not ideal.

Android users will be particularly familiar with this problem, but there is a way round it. Various apps offer task and process management options, allowing you to quickly and easily close any running programs.

We’ve already seen how ASTRO works as a file manager for your Android device, so let’s have a look at using one of its other key features, the process manager which allows you to stop apps that you would prefer not to be running…

Accessing the ASTRO Process Manager

You should have already downloaded the free ASTRO file manager app from the Android Market – as utilities go, this is one of the best you can get.

In order to access the process manager, launch ASTRO and tap the menu button – you will see Tools listed as an option. This will display the option of displaying a new menu, with Process Manager as the third option.

Depending on the speed of your device and your Android version, you may need to wait a few moments while the Process Manager scans your phone or tablet for running tasks, before displaying them along with the amount of CPU and memory resources they are using. You will also notice that there are three tabs, Apps, Services and Processes, each with details of open routines.

Stopping Apps with the ASTRO Process Manager

If you have any apps that you wish to stop – perhaps a game is hanging, or you have an app that requires an always-on connection to the web which is causing your phone to lag – you can use the Process Manager in ASTRO to quickly stop them, regaining the resources that they have been using up.

For instance, to stop your browser (useful if you find that it is not performing to well; you might have stumbled onto a web page with a few scripts that are slowing down the browser) then you would select the Apps tab, tap the Browser to select it and then select Kill Application from the menu.

Some apps exist in both the Apps and Services tabs. One such example is Skype, so if you need to close this completely for whatever reason, you will notice that it continues to run as a service in the background. You won’t be able to close any services, however, and closing Skype on the Apps tap will result in it restarting automatically a few moments later.

This facility protects your device from damage – after all, you don’t want to be disabling processes that your tablet needs to run smoothly, do you?